Biggest achievement: Held together Lear's North American interiors leadership team while cutting costs and closing plants.

Current goal: To continue to find ways to cut costs and improve operations as the interiors division continues to go through a restructuring period.

James Kamsickas grew up in Saginaw, received a bachelor's degree in production and operations management from Michigan State University in 1989, and joined Southfield-based Lear Corp. shortly after.

"I had a dream of being a plant manager one day, and it evolved into this," Kamsickas said.

Kamsickas, who has been a vice president since he was 32, describes Lear as a corporate culture where young, hard-working executives willing to "move faster than the average bear" are given a chance to prove themselves.

Lear's interior division is not profitable and, for about a year, Lear has been exploring the possibility of combining its interiors division in a joint venture with New York City financier Wilbur Ross.

Despite those challenges, Lear President and COO Douglas DelGrosso credits Kamsickas with motivating Lear's leadership team to stick together during the difficult times.

Kamsickas has also overseen the closure of three plants as well as $90 million in cost cuts last year and is on track to cut an additional $100 million in costs this year.